New York - US stocks defied a week of gloomy predictions and controversial financial decisions by US officials, bouncing back by Friday after a slump on Monday and Tuesday.

For Friday, better-than-estimated results from Citigroup Inc, JPMorgan Chase & Co and Wells Fargo & Co relieved worries that they would extend their yearlong slump, Bloomberg financial news reported.

US banking giant Citigroup Inc reported a loss of 2.5 billion dollars in the second quarter amid credit losses and write downs in the troubled financial market.

JPMorgan Chase reported profits in the second quarter of 2 billion dollars, down 53 per cent from the same 2007 period but better than analysts had expected.

The International Monetary Fund was more upbeat this week in its world economic outlook, saying the United States had stepped back from the brink of the recession that the crisis lending agency had anticipated in April.

The market slumped steeply on Monday and Tuesday after US officials announced a possible bailout of two publicly chartered mortgage firms - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - which carry about half of all US mortgages.

The blue-chip Dow Jones index gained 3.6 per cent for the week.

On Friday, the Dow industrials picked up 49.91 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 11,496.57. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index earned 0.36 points, or 0.03 per cent, to
1,260.68. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index fell 29.52 points, or 1.28 per cent, to 2,282.78.

The dollar rose to 63.1 euro cents from 63.03 euro cents on Thursday, and bumped up to 106.97 Japanese yen from 106.25 Japanese yen.

Gold was unchanged Friday at 970.70 dollars per fine ounce. (dpa)